Tag: lotus

This is the last of the motorsport - our trip to Silverstone for practice at the British Grand Prix in July 1977. Notable for a couple of things - the weird and wonderful 6-wheel Tyrell and also the debut of the Turbocharged Renault, the first turbo F1 car.
For the afficionados:
#1 James Hunt in a McLaren
#3 Ronnie Petersen in a Tyrell
#17 Alan Jones in a Shadow
#11 Niki Lauda in a Ferrari#5 Mario Andretti in a Lotus
#12 Carlos Reutemann in a Ferrari
#24 Rupert Keegan in a Williams
#4 Patrick Depailler in a Tyrell
#15 Jean-Pierre Jabouille in a Renault
...

In 1962, just for a change, my dad didn't go to Le Mans. Instead, Bill and he went to Monte Carlo for the Grand Prix. Did they fly? No. They made a proper petrolhead trip of it.
First up, they drove to Germany (what in those days would have been West Germany, to be precise) for the Nurburgring 1000km. Then they drove down through the Alps to Monte Carlo, watched the Grand Prix, and then drove back up through France, via Arles, the Gorges du Tarn, Le Mans (OK, so he went there, but not for the 24 hour race this time) and then back to Calais.
Not something you see every day - a racing car (Formula Junior - the precursor to Formula 3) parked at the side of the road, between a couple of oh-so-French vans.
One of the most iconic Formula 1 cars - the Sharknose Ferrari 156, driven here by Phil Hill.
Jack Brabham in a Lotus-Climax 24, in Casino...

Peter Collins in a Formula 1 Maserati 250F. Crystal Palace 30/05/1955
Colin Chapman in a Lotus XI. Goodwood 24/09/1955
A couple of shots from the 1955 motorsport summer.
The amount of detail my dad recorded on some of these shots is great - written on the back of the prints of these two photos is the following:
1) Formula 1 Maserati 250F (2.5 litre), disc brakes, alloy wheels. Owen Racing Organisation car, driven by Peter Collins
2) Lotus Mk IX Climax, 1097cc. Six Mile Stable, driven by Colin Chapman. Almost certainly XPE8, the works car at Le Mans 1955. Cleaned up on the races that day....